Tell Me You Love Me
by TariTelrunya
Summary: Loki decides to visit Earth intent on destroying it to get back at Thor and Odin, until he meets Sasha, and suddenly his priorities change
1. Chapter 1

"_It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be the rightful King. Thor was always the brash, arrogant one, but I wanted to be like him. I wanted Father to be as proud of me as he was of my brother, but that would never happen, and now I know why. I am a Jötunn, a Frost Giant, a monster that all Asgardian mothers warn their children about. I will make them pay; I will make them all pay"_

Groaning, Sasha opened her eyes and looked at her alarm clock. Noticing the time, she sat up quickly.

"Shit" she muttered. She knew that she would be late to work…again, and she knew that her boss would tear a strip off her….again. The fact that she hadn't been sleeping very well recently wasn't going to cut it this time. She'd taken a couple of sleeping pills last night, and apparently they'd worked better than expected. Jumping out of bed, she ran into the shower and turned it on. Ignoring the scalding of her skin, she washed quickly and wrapped a towel round her as she set about getting ready for work as quick as she could.

"_I've wandered these realms it seems like forever since my "brother" destroyed the Bi-Frost, and I went with it. I wonder if they mourn for me, or does my Father breathe a sigh of relief that his secret will never be revealed, that his second son was really a Jötunn. I am Loki Laufeyson, rightful King of Jötunnheim, and I will have my vengeance. But I grow weary from roaming these realms; Thor and All-Father were obsessed with the protection of Earth and its Mortals. Perhaps, before I destroy them, I should study them and find their weaknesses"_

At exactly 9.04am, Sasha entered the office and made a beeline for her desk, hoping that she wasn't spotted by Abi, boss.

"Sasha, can you come in here please?" The voice emanating from the open door of the office proved she had been spotted, and now was the time for bollocking to begin.

"Abi, I can…." Abi looked at her, a withering look designed to cut her off. It was successful.

"Shut the door Sasha", Abi dropped her specs onto the desk and pinched the bridge of her nose. Sasha complied and shut the door, turning to stand at the desk, awaiting the inevitable with bated breath.

"What time do we start work Sasha?" Abi looked at her.

"9am Abi." She replied, looking at her shoes.

"Which means that you should be at your desk no later than 8.55am" Abi sat back and folded her arms. "This is the second time this week you've been late Sasha. I need to know that my reporters are happy and that everything is OK. Is everything OK?" Abi sat forward with a look of genuine concern on her face.

"I'm just not sleeping well Abi. I thought I was too old for nightmares by now" Sasha smiled ruefully. "The breakup with Alan was harder than I thought it would be. I still don't think I'm fully used to being in that apartment on my own" she ran a hand through her thick brown hair.

"You need to get back in the saddle, so to speak" Abi smiled "A night out, take a guy home, have some fun. Finally get over Alan" she stood and walked out from behind her desk. "Take a few days off, get some space, we can handle everything here. It's a pretty slow news week. In fact I have a cabin up by the lake." She rummaged around in her handbag, finally pulling out a set of keys. "It'll do you the world of good, somewhere different. Let you get everything into perspective" Abi dropped the keys into Sasha's hand, fixing her a big smile. "Have fun and I'll see you back here Monday OK?"

"Absolutely, thanks for this Abi. I think it'll be just what I need" Sasha quickly hugged Abi, before letting go, feeling awkward. She opened the door and walked out, snagging her bag from her desk on the way out. Suddenly the day didn't seem so bad…


	2. Chapter 2

Sasha danced around the apartment as she packed a small bag. Her boss Abi had kindly lent her the keys to a cabin by the lake about an hours drive from her apartment. She could already feel the tension flowing out of her, and she hadn't even left yet!

The break up with Alan had been particularly traumatic; she'd known for a while that things weren't working as they should. They'd been together for 9 years, meeting at college. Everyone had expected marriage to be the next big thing for them, and at one time Sasha would have agreed with them. Alan was safe, dependable and if Sasha was honest with herself, a little bit boring. He had a set time for everything; you could set your watch by him and his strict timetable, something he never deviated from, no matter what came his way. When they'd first met he had been the total opposite, and that was the Alan that she had fallen in love with, and missed the most. After his parents had been killed in a car accident, he changed. She understood that losing both parents would be a wake up call for anybody, but she hadn't realised that Alan would do a complete 360. Gone was her spontaneous, carefree boyfriend, and in his place was this overcautious constant worrier. She felt smothered by him in the end; he constantly wanted to know where she was, who she was with and what time she would be home. He constantly phoned her at work, one day she counted 10 calls just to her work phone, and there were another 16 calls to her cell!

She sighed as she zipped up her bag, frowning at the memory of their last night together. She'd gone out for a couple of drinks after work with some of her colleagues, nothing too heavy, just a quick stop off to celebrate the end of another hectic week. Less than an hour after finishing work her cell rang; Alan wanting to know where she was. She explained that she was out with some friends and would be home soon, telling him not to worry, that she was perfectly fine before hanging up on him, thinking that would be the end of it…

It wasn't. He turned up at the bar 20 minutes later. Sensing that there could be trouble, Sasha bundled him outside.

"What are you doing here Alan? I told you I wouldn't be long" Sasha could barely contain her anger.

"I came to bring you home" he replied in a matter-of-fact way.

"Oh really? When did you become my mother?" Sasha tried, and failed to keep the acid out of her voice.

"You're drunk, and in obvious need of being looked after" Alan's tone was equally acidic.

"My knight in shining armour" Sasha observed sarcastically "Go home Alan. I'll be home later"

"No! You're going home now where I can keep an eye on you" Now it was Alan's turn to fail at concealing his anger.

"Don't you dare tell me what I can do! I'm sick of you pulling this protector shit every time I try to have a life!" Sasha hissed at him.

"Well who else is going to look after you? You're clearly incapable of looking after yourself" Alan stared at her.

"Now you listen up, pin your ears back and make sure you listen good. Don't you dare cause a scene in front of my work friends. They already think you're bat shit crazy with the amount of times you call me at work. I will be home when I am ready….Let go of me now!" Alan had grabbed her by the arm and was pulling her in the direction of the car.

"You are coming home now whether you like it or not" Alan's tone was venomous.

"Get your fucking hands off me now!" Sasha shouted, instantly aware a small crowd was now turning to watch the angry exchange, including a couple of her work friends; just what she needed. "Let go of me Alan…you're hurting me!" she twisted and turned, but to no avail, he was a lot taller and stronger than she was.

Still holding her arm, he opened the car door and almost threw her into the seat, slamming the car door behind her and stalking round the car to take his place in the driver's seat.

"You really are a crazy bastard" Sasha couldn't control her tears, a mixture of fear, anger and pain all balled into one.

"You will learn to do as I tell you Sasha. I do it for your own good" Alan started the car and skidded away from the bar and turned right towards their apartment, as Sasha folded her arms and sat in petulant silence.

Pulling up at the apartment, Sasha didn't even give Alan time to turn off the engine before getting out of the car, slamming the door as hard as she could behind her. She fumbled in her bag and pulled out her keys, stalking up the stairs and letting herself in. Walking straight to the bathroom she looked in the mirror and saw that she looked as bad as she felt; her mascara had run from her crying, her eyes were red and bloodshot and there were tracks down her foundation where her tears had fallen, AND her arm was beginning to bruise. She set about cleaning her face up whilst hearing Alan come in and throw his keys down on the side before slamming the door behind him.

"Fucker" she said to herself as she removed her make up. "Who does he think he is? Treat me like I'm 5 years old" she spoke to nobody in particular as she dragged the cotton ball down her face.

"I thought I was your boyfriend" Sasha whirled round to face Alan who was regarding her coldly. She hadn't realised he was standing behind her.

"Exactly, you're my boyfriend, not my fucking keeper" she spat out the last word with as much anger as she could muster; which turned out to be quite a lot as she watched him recoil as if she'd struck him.

"What is so wrong in wanting to keep the woman I love safe?" Alan frowned, genuinely puzzled by her reaction.

"Alan I'm not your parents. You can't wrap me up in cotton wool to keep me safe. It's…suffocating me" She'd finally said the words she'd been longing to say for weeks. "I feel like I have no life. When was the last time I got together with Ella and Brad? My oldest friends and I haven't been able to see them for months in case you get a case of the heebie-jeebies. You treat me like I'm a child, and expect me to just fall in with your schedule, yet when I want to do something, you dismiss it as something trivial that will interfere with YOUR schedule!" The words were gushing out now, weeks of built up resentment and pain flowing from her mouth, as fresh tears fell from her eyes.

"I know you're not my parents Sash" Alan said quietly as he looked down at the floor. "But I couldn't keep them safe because I wasn't there. I can keep YOU safe because I'm here" he looked at her.

"At the expense of what Alan? Is this how my life is going to be? Constantly scrutinised, ridiculous phone calls every minute of the day? You dragging me by arm away from my work friends? Ritual humiliation if I dare to defy you?" The anger was back with a vengeance.

"If it keeps you safe….yes" Alan looked at her with cold eyes.

"Forget it!" Sasha snarled. "I am not going to live like that Alan. Hell if you had your way I wouldn't live at all. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being treated like a child, I'm sick of you smothering me. I'm sick of YOU!" she roared the last part…There it was, the words she'd wanted to say, finally out.

Alan looked like he was going to be sick. "What are you saying Sash?"

"I can't do this anymore. I can't live how you want me to live. You've changed so much, and I understand why. I was hoping that it was temporary, and that the man I fell in love with would come back, but I have to face up to the fact that he's never coming back" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "It's over Alan"

"No, you don't mean that Sash, we love each other" he moved forward a step to touch her, she recoiled, and his hand fell to his side. "You don't love me anymore?" he asked her, a quizzical look on his face, tears filling his eyes.

"Not this new Alan, no. I love the old Alan, the guy that would cut classes with me, surprised me with silly gifts for no reason at all, the carefree guy that laughed easily and enjoyed life. HIM I miss, more than you'll ever know, but he's never going to come back is he? Sasha looked at him sadly.

"No, I guess he's not. I prefer this Alan, how I am now. But you don't" he smiled sadly.

"No I don't. And I don't see how our relationship can work when it's so uneven now" Now she did touch him, she hugged him. "I will always love you Alan, but I can't be with you anymore" she said softly.

The phone rang, shaking her out of her reprieve. She walked across the room to answer it.

"Have you not left yet?" Abi laughed lightly down the phone.

"I'm just on my way" Sasha smiled, thankful for the interruption.

"Good, just wanted to let you know that you'll need to get a gas bottle, there's a small stop just before the turning to the cabin, you can get all your supplies there. It's a little err…rustic. Let's just say you won't find any Rioja or buffalo mozzarella, more like milk and beans" Abi laughed again.

"Mmm my favourite" Sasha laughed this time. "Thanks for letting me know Abi. I promise to take good care of the place"

"I know you will, or it's coming out of your wages" Abi laughed again, but somehow Sasha didn't think she was joking. "Enjoy your time off Sasha. See you Monday" Abi rang off.

Picking up her bag, Sasha took one last look around the apartment, making sure she had everything. Smiling to herself she opened the front door and walked out into the sunshine. Yes it was a good day indeed. Destination peace and relaxation. Slipping on her shades, she got into the car, throwing her bag on the passenger seat, and started the engine. She backed out of the driveway and made for the turnpike, more than ready for some adventure.

_I am ready. These insignificant humans will wonder what hit them when I exact my revenge on them. I will find their weaknesses, and then I will make them kneel to their King! _


	3. Chapter 3

Getting out of the car, Sasha surveyed the building in front of her. It was little more than a shack, but apparently she could get everything she needed for a few days here. Putting her sunglasses on her head, she locked the car and headed into the shop, momentarily blinded by how dark it was inside compared to the bright October sun outside.

"Can I help you Miss?" An old man sat on a stool behind the counter.

"Uh...I think so" Sasha walked up to the counter. "I'm staying at the cabin just up the road for a few days and I'm going to need some supplies and a gas bottle." Sasha explained to him.

"No problem, why don't you look around for the stuff you want and I'll get the bottle sorted out for you" The man smiled a warm smile at her, causing Sasha to do the same.

She walked around the store, subconsciously filling a basket with things she thought she might need. Matches, breakfast cereal, milk, bread and other bits to keep her going. She was pretty sure that she couldn't get a take out delivered here, so it was probably a good idea to do some cooking for herself. She hadn't been eating much since her split with Alan, and what she did eat didn't really constitute cooking, unless heating a can of beans in the microwave was classed as cooking nowadays. Walking towards the back of the store, she noticed rows of sleeping bags and stopped. She hadn't even thought to ask Abi if there was bed linen at the cabin, maybe it was a good idea to buy a couple of sleeping bags, she could use them to keep warm if she didn't need to sleep in them. Grabbing them off the shelf, she headed back toward the counter where the old man had resumed his position on the stool.

"Is that everything for you Miss?" he asked as he rung up her purchases.

"I think so" Sasha replied. "I don't know what's at the cabin, so I'm just guessing with half this stuff" she laughed softly.

"Well, the sleeping bags are a good idea, it gets cold out here this time of year." He nodded as if remembering something. "You're up here a little late in the season for any of the attractions on the lake though" he looked at her.

"That's OK, actually that's perfect. I could use some quiet time. It'll be nice to just sit outside without having to deal with any noise" Sasha answered as she handed over her card to pay for her items.

"Well that's everything Miss; I'll bring your canister to the car for you. I hope you enjoy your stay" he smiled that warm smile at her again as he lifted the counter top and stepped through to the front of the shop.

Sasha grabbed her bag of purchases and walked out behind the man, unlocking the car and placing her purchases on the back seat. The man put the bottle in the back and gave her brief instructions on how to connect it before wishing her well and going back inside.

The sun was starting to go in and Sasha could feel the chill in the air as she drove slowly down the driveway to the cabin, actually it was more like a dirt track and she was glad that she had a 4x4 to get her through safely. She tried to stay clear of the puddles of water, never sure if they were just puddles, or actually pot holes full of water and she was quite relieved when she parked up outside the cabin fairly unscathed.

Leaving her stuff in the car, she got out and locked it behind her before mounting the steps and putting the key in the front door. Walking into the cabin Sasha was quite surprised at how plain it was. Looking at Abi she wouldn't have been surprised if the cabin had been totally modernised in the industrial chic style that Abi loved so much, but thankfully it looked like the cabin had escaped her interior design aspirations. It was quaint and homely. A small living room that was dominated by a large log fireplace, which almost seemed out of place in such a small area. Next to the living room was a small dining area, a pine table and 4 chairs nestled neatly in the middle of the area. Beyond that a small galley kitchen. Off to the left there were two doors, Sasha assumed that one was the bedroom, and the other the bathroom, her assumptions being correct on further inspection. Finally wrapped around the entire cabin was a covered terrace which overlooked the lake. A couple of loungers sat enticingly looking towards the lake. Sasha knew she'd be spending a lot of time out there, and thankfully her new sleeping bags would come in useful, especially as she wouldn't be needing to sleep in them as the bed was already made up.

Having familiarised herself with the cabin she quickly grabbed her bags from the car, the air was definitely getting colder, and she wanted to get the fire going and the kettle on so she could have a cup of coffee. She made her way up the stairs with her hands full, kicking the door closed behind her and put everything down in the middle of the floor. She kicked her shoes off and took her bag through to the bedroom before coming back and setting up the gas bottle just like the old man had told her to do. It was quite simple and luckily didn't take long to do. Going through to the kitchen she filled the kettle and retrieving the matches from her shopping bag she lit the range and put the kettle on to boil. As she waited she put some logs on the fire, and set the kindling before lighting the fire, instantly she felt the heat and it felt good. Next she emptied her shopping bag, putting everything away in what she thought was the right places. She found a coffee mug and after a bit more searching found the cutlery drawer and snagged a teaspoon from it. She made herself a coffee and finally she sat down on the comfortable sofa with a contended moan. This was going to be a great place for a few days. She pulled her cell out of her jeans pocket and looked at the screen.

"Great, no signal!" she sighed to herself. At least she was going to have peace, she was glad that she'd remembered to pack her Kindle, it looked like she would be using it a lot.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting used to the cabin and finding where everything was in an emergency, dark clouds rolled in and it started raining, giving the lake an ominous aura about it, not that she minded, the fire made sure the cabin was toasty warm as she unpacked her bag and put its contents away. Finally at around 6 o'clock she decided that she was hungry and set about making herself an omelette and salad.

\

After dinner, and with all the dishes cleaned, Sasha decided that she could wait no longer, she wanted to sit outside. Grabbing a sleeping bag she went outside, turning on the lights, thankful that the terrace was covered, at least she wouldn't get wet. She set up the sleeping bag on one of the loungers and returned to the cabin to pick up the bottle of red wine and a wine glass. Abi had been right, it wasn't Rioja, but it would get her semi buzzed at least. She grabbed the bottle opener, and returned to the lounger, climbing into the sleeping bag. She opened the bottle and poured herself a glass, then took a big gulp, sighing appreciatively. It wasn't that bad if she was honest.

Sasha realised that one of the bad things about being on your own was that it gave you too much time to think. She went back to that evening with Alan, after she'd told him that she didn't want to be with him anymore. He'd taken it graciously, better than she would have done she suspected. He moved out that night, taking a bag full of clothes with him. Of course their apartment would have to be sold, but right now she could stay there. She was eternally grateful for that, she had nobody to go to. Her best friends were away on another mission in some godforsaken place and she didn't want to drag any of her work colleagues into her private life anymore than she had to. Alan was going to stay with his sister. That had been 5 days ago, and yet she still felt terrible. She'd thought it would have been easier than this..

She grabbed the bottle and tipped it to pour another glass and was surprised to find that it was empty. How long had she been out here? She couldn't remember, the rain had stopped at least, but she could feel a chill nipping around her even though she was wrapped up in the sleeping bag. Maybe it was time to go in. She started to untangle herself from the cover, stopped, listened, cocking her head to one side. She could have sworn she heard a splash in the water. She shook her head, probably some local kids out for a late night dip. _In October? Don't be so stupid_ the voice in her head chided her. She continued to listen for a moment longer and satisified that she must have been imagining it, she continued to climb out of her cocoon. Again she stopped, she'd definitely heard something splashing in the lake….

"…Help me!" came a voice across the dark night.

There was somebody in trouble on the lake! Sasha ran into the house and grabbed the torch and slipped her feet into her shoes quickly. She ran down the stairs and ran along the bank side moving the torch along the waterside to find the person in trouble.

"I can't swim" said the voice again. Closer this time.

"I'm coming, hold on!" Sasha shouted into the dark. She swept the torch again, and saw a man floundering in the water. He was about five feet out from the bank, and Sasha knew that this lake had about 3 feet of shallow water before it became a sheer drop into the deeper part. She knew she was going to regret it, but she dropped the torch, making sure the man was illuminated and waded into the water, when she got to the end of the shallows, she swam out to where the man had been, he was nowhere to be seen. Taking a breath, she dived under the cold water, it was pitch black, but she put her hands out, searching the water, finally managing to catch hold of cloth. She held on tightly and pulled the man back to the surface, she coughed and spluttered, but heard no sound from him. Quickly she pulled him to the shallows, and using every ounce of strength in her she pulled him out onto the bank, looking at him she could see that he wasn't breathing, so she started giving him mouth to mouth. After 4 breaths he coughed, spluttered and vomited the excess water out. Sasha sat back on her heels, her breath coming in ragged spurts. That had been close.

"Can you walk?" she asked the man softly.

He looked up at her and nodded slowly. "I think so" he said with not much conviction.

"I have a cabin just up there. Come on and we'll get you dried and warm" She stood and held out her hand to help the stranger up. He took the offer and got to his feet shakily. She retrieved the torch and putting her arm around the strangers waist, helped him slowly back to the cabin.


	4. Chapter 4

Sasha had never been so happy to see the soft glow of lights coming from the cabin. The stranger had been quiet the whole way, she guessed he was exhausted. But what had he been doing in the water fully clothed anyway? Didn't he realise how cold the lake got this time of year?

Sasha helped him up the stairs and opened the door, watching as he entered the cabin. He was wearing dark pants and a dark roll neck sweater. Through the tight material she could make out slight muscle definition, he was lithe like a runner. His hair, dark and wet had started to dry into tousled curls that for some reason she had an inexplicable urge to run her hands through. He turned to face her and she finally got a good look at his face and gasped softly. He was beautiful. He had an angular jaw, set firm from cold and fear, a straight, regal nose, and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and entered into the cabin, kicking her shoes off and closing the door behind her. She was thankful that the fire was still going; it was warm in the cabin. She went to the dining table and pulled a chair out, setting it down on the floor by the fire.

"Sit down and I'll get you a towel" she said as she walked through to the bathroom. She pulled a towel down from the shelf, walked back into the living room and handed it to the stranger who had sat down.

"Thank you" he replied quietly, taking the towel from her, he held it in his hands as if unfamiliar with what to do with it, never taking his eyes off her.

"I'll…um...I'm just going to get changed before I catch pneumonia" she laughed, a little too brightly…._Jesus why won't he stop staring?_ The voice in her mind hissed. Ignoring it she carried on. "I'll see if there are some clothes here for you, maybe my boss's husband has left stuff here". She stopped talking, and the silence deafened her. Without saying another word, she turned and walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Pulling out her pyjamas, she took her pants and top off, drying herself with the towel from her bag, then sitting on the edge of the bed she redressed in the dry clothes. She thought back over the events in her mind, wondering again where this guy had come from. Who was he and why did he make her feel so jumpy? She sat for a moment longer before realising that she couldn't leave him alone for much longer. Standing up, she walked towards the chest of drawers under the window, hoping that Bryan had some clothes here. Luck was on her side once again, in the bottom drawer were a pair of work out pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. She could see they would be too big for her new friend in the living room, but at least they would do until his clothes had dried anyway.

Walking back through to the living room, the stranger had at least used the towel, his hair had been towel dried and now he was running his hands through it to get it in some sort of order, his sweater now on the back of the chair placed towards the fire, while the towel hung on his shoulders. He heard her movements and turned to look at her, the fire dancing in those blue eyes.

"I found you some clothes to wear until yours are dry" she just managed to get the words out; her throat had dried up when she'd first seen him without his top on. "I laid them on the bed for you. They'll be too big, but still they're dry at least" she smiled at him. He regarded her with a quizzical look, leaning his head to the side; it would have made her giggle had she not been so nervous.

"Do I make you nervous?" he asked still looking at her in that funny/cute way.

"Um…a little?" was the only reply she could get out. She pulled herself up to her full height of 5'4, which still looked ridiculous; he must have been at least 6 foot tall. "I mean, I'm in a cabin, in the middle of nowhere with a strange man I just pulled out of the lake. The only person who knows I'm here is my boss and I have no reception on my cell. I'd say that makes me a little nervous sure" the quiver in her voice belied the bravery she was trying to muster. He smiled at her, as if feeding off her nervous energy and took a step towards her.

"I'll just go and make some coffee" Sasha's nerves were screaming at her as she backed away towards the kitchen and the safety of space it afforded her. As she busied herself with making coffee she heard him go through to the bedroom and sighed in relief. He was so intense, and seemed to read her reactions well, better than she would hope for. She hadn't had nearly enough wine to deal with this situation. She grabbed a tray and put the cups of hot coffee on it, she grabbed the sugar bowl and went to put it on the tray, but a sound behind her made her drop the sugar all over the counter. She turned to see the stranger looking at her, holding his arms up like a child; she'd forgotten that Bryan was a bodybuilder and his clothes on the man standing in front of her looked comical. The arms of the shirt were far too long, hanging over his hands. She giggled lightly and walked towards the man, reaching up and taking his hand and pushing the shirt sleeve up to his elbows. She gasped as she touched his hand, he was ice cold. He looked at her, smiling a tight smile.

"Family trait" was all he said, but Sasha got the feeling there was more he wanted to say. She did the other sleeve and then turned to clean up the sugar, then froze as the man grabbed her arm.

"Are all humans' kind like you?" he asked earnestly. Sasha looked at him confused.

"Are you not kind?" she answered his question with another.

"I'm not human" he stated matter-of-factly. Sasha's scalp prickled. _Great a nut-job, just what you need in the middle of nowhere_ the voice in her head sighed.

"Well if you're not human, what are you? Because from where I'm standing you look pretty human to me" Sasha risked a look at him, and suddenly wished she hadn't. He was staring at her, like a hunter stares at its prey before it pounces, her breath quickened, not just in fear, but in something else too…longing. _Don't you do that. I'm warning you!_ The voice in her head almost shouted. Crisis averted, he let go of her arm and turned towards the living room without answering her. He sat down on the couch, as Sasha let out a large breath of relief. She quickly cleaned up the spilled sugar and put the remains of the bowl on the tray. She carried it through and placed it on the table in from of the sofa and sat down.

"Let's start this again shall we?" She sounded braver than she felt. "My name is Sasha and you're welcome" she held out her hand.

"My name is Loki and what am I welcome for?" he looked at her hand in puzzlement.

"For saving your life?" she took back her hand. "Oh forget it!" she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Thank you" he almost whispered his gratitude. He reached across and took a cup of coffee. "What is this please?" he asked, regarding the brown liquid with suspicion.

"It's coffee. Have you never had coffee before?" she regarded him with incredulity.

"We do not have coffee on Asgard" he replied quickly.

"Asgard? Where in the Hell is Asgard?" Sasha really began to believe that she was dealing with a nut-job. This was not how she saw spending a few days away from work.

"It's one of the Nine Realms" he replied so casually, as if it were an every day thing. He took a sip of coffee, and spat it out again. "It's hot and I burnt my mouth!" he exclaimed.

"It's coffee, it's meant to be hot" Sasha replied, as if talking to a 5 year old. "Nine Realms? Asgard? Humans? Just who are you?" She moved to the edge of her seat, ready to run if necessary. She did not want to be here on her own with this guy.

"I told you, my name is Loki. Son of Odin, brother of Thor. Asgard is…was my home" he looked sad at that last part.

"Whoa…wait a minute" Sasha held up her hands as she tried to come to grips with what he'd just told her. "Thor? Odin? They're all myths. They don't exist. I remember reading the stories at school!"

"We exist" he looked at her, and she could see that he was telling the truth, or at least what he thought was the truth.

"So why aren't you in Asgard now?" she asked him. "If that's your home, why are you here almost drowning yourself?" she folded her arms and watched as Loki took another sip of coffee.

"This isn't actually that bad" he smiled, a real smile now, it caught Sasha by surprise, tying her stomach in knots. "I did some…things. I decided to leave, for everybody's sake. I've been wandering the realms since then. I came to Earth with a purpose, but after meeting you I'm not so sure now." He shrugged. "I grow weak. I need sustenance" he sat back on the sofa.

"You need food? Just say you're hungry man" Sasha stood up and padded to the kitchen. She pulled out a large bag of potato chips and walked back through to the living room. "Here, these are great for relieving hunger" She threw them at Loki and sat back down again. He picked up the bag and looked at it before handing it to Sasha.

"How do you eat them?" he asked. He watched as she opened the bag and handed them back to him.

"You eat what's inside. Damn what kind of food do they have on Asgard if you can't open a bag of potato chips?" She watched as he pulled out a potato chip and put it in his mouth. He smiled as he chewed, nodding to himself.

"These I like. What are these called?" he pulled out a handful of chips and put them in his mouth.

"Potato chips, they're good right?" Sasha smiled in spite of herself.

"These are wonderful" he exclaimed, eating another handful.

"You said you left Asgard because you did "some things", what did you mean by that?" Sasha was curious as to what Loki had done that would make him leave his home. He looked at her, his face showing sadness. It tore at her heart to see him look like that.

"I found out some things about myself. I felt so alone, and I lashed out. I wanted my father to be as proud of me as he was Thor. It backfired" he dropped his head and stared at his hands. Before she knew what she was doing, Sasha took one of his hands in hers, ignoring the searing cold.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. It comes with the territory of being a parent that you have to deal with rebellions from time to time" She smiled as he looked up at her.

"I tried to kill my brother and destroy Jötunnheim " he looked at her for some sign of forgiveness.

"Well on a level of one-to-ten, that's pretty high up there on the lashing out scale" she laughed gently. "I'm sure your father forgives you" she nodded.

"Not my real father. I killed him" Loki replied softly.

"Oh" was all she could say. "I thought you said Odin was your father" she was confused.

"That's what I found out about myself" he looked at the fire, lost in thought. "I'm really a Jötunn. My father was Laufy, King of Jötunn. During a war with the Jötunn, Odin found me as a baby and took me back to Asgard, raising me as his own. I never knew until we took a trip to Jötunnheim; Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three and I. Thor wanted to send them a message for interrupting his Coronation and getting into Asgard. There was a fight, and one of them touched me. Instead of burning my skin like it had Volstagg, I started to turn into one of them. That was when I started to question my existence. Seems Odin had wanted to use me as some sort of peace treaty" he made a noise in the back of his throat, almost of disdain.

"Wow that's heavy" Sasha murmured "I can see how that could send someone over the edge though" she reasoned. He looked at her, questions in his eyes.

"Would you have done the same thing?" he asked hopefully.

"I don't know" she answered slowly. "I can't say what I would do in that situation, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to think I could do the same thing". He frowned at her answer. "Look I grew up in California with two loving parents. It's not a situation I would ever have to deal with" she sighed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry" he touched her arm lightly then took his hand away. The ache it left behind on her skin surprised Sasha. "I'm tired" he stated.

"I'll get you a blanket. Will this be OK for you?" she pointed at the couch.

"It will suffice" he replied sleepily.

Sasha got up and grabbed the tray, taking the empty cups and chip packet through to the kitchen, then she walked through and grabbed a blanket from the chest. She walked back to the living room to find Loki already sleeping. She looked at him lying prone, and felt a stirring in her chest. She had no idea how she would have reacted in the same situation, but she felt so sad for him that he had to go through such a trauma on his own. She placed the blanket over him gently, then instinctively leaned in and kissed him softly on his forehead. When she pulled away, he was looking at her, she blushed as he smiled sleepily at her, and then closed his eyes again.

She turned off the light, leaving the soft glow of the dying fire illuminating Loki's sleeping form and entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She crawled into bed, and turned on her side, pulling her legs up to her chest and looked out of the window, trying to process everything that had happened this evening. She still wasn't entirely sure if she believed he was telling the truth, but he seemed genuine, and she wasn't so nervous around him now. She blushed again as she recalled being caught kissing his forehead, she didn't know what came over her, it was just an instinctive urge to do it. If she was honest, she actually quite liked him, remembering how she wished he'd kept his cold hand on her arm. She closed her eyes and drifted off, her last thoughts being of Loki…


	5. Chapter 5

Sasha woke early the next morning. She'd had a pretty good sleep actually, although she'd been woken up by Loki shouting at about 2am. She'd gone through to make sure he was OK, but he was still sleeping, so she'd gone back to bed. She hadn't heard any more shouting. She looked at her phone and saw it was about 7.30am.

"Time to get up" she said to herself, pushing the covers off. Sheesh the wooden floor was cold on her bare feet! If she hadn't been awake before she'd put her feet on the floor, she definitely was now. She opened the bedroom door and instantly looked to her right. Loki wasn't sitting on the sofa. Apparently he was awake, the blanket was folded and his clothes were no where to be seen. Sasha frowned, she didn't think he'd have left the cabin; he was probably in the bathroom. She turned and knocked the bathroom door lightly.

"Loki are you in there?" she called, expecting him to answer in the affirmative. She wasn't prepared for what happened next… The door opened, and there was Loki, standing in all his natural glory. "Holy crap Loki!" Sasha almost yelled, and covered her eyes with her hands. "You could have warned me!" she felt the colour rushing to her cheeks and now understood what it meant to not know where to look.

"Sasha? Are you OK? You've gone a very strange colour" he walked out of the bathroom sans clothing, and stood in front of her. "Look at me, please" he urged her softly. Feeling out of sorts, but determined to just look at his face she opened her eyes. "Are you OK?" he asked again, with genuine concern this time.

"I'm…err….I'm fine, think you could put some clothes on or wrap a towel around you?" she felt her eyes starting to wander; it took all her control to just look at his face. It was no good. She took in his lean, muscular form, his strong shoulders, down his arms, towards his navel. _You are in SO much trouble Missy!_ The voice in her head reprimanded her. She sighed, closed her eyes and shook her head. She needed air…badly! She turned and walked out onto the terrace, gulping down the cold, fresh air that smacked her in the face. This was a complication that she didn't need. She was still trying to get over Alan; she didn't need Loki and all his gorgeousness playing with her mind.

She stood on the terrace, looking out at the water for what seemed like seconds. It must have been longer. Loki came out, thankfully clothed again and stood beside her.

"Humans are easily embarrassed" he said matter-of-factly. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again" he turned to look at Sasha, who seemed lost in thought looking at the lake. "Say something please." He didn't like the silence; he liked the sound of her voice.

"It's complicated" Sasha turned to gaze up at Loki. "I came here to help get over a break up. I never expected to come out here and find somebody I quite liked" she shrugged, looking back at the lake. "Seeing you like that earlier made me think things I don't think I'm supposed to think this early after my split" she blushed again.

"What things?" Loki had never been to Earth before and human feelings and emotions were alien to him. He knew how it all worked on Asgard, but he wasn't sure if it was the same here. Sasha couldn't believe she was about to be so honest, especially with someone she didn't even know.

"I thought about how I wanted to get you into bed" she closed her eyes and blushed beet red. "I haven't felt that way about someone in a long time. Not even my ex" she explained.

"That's a good thing. I learnt that much at Asgard" Loki smiled to himself, maybe Humans and Asgardians weren't so different after all. He moved in closer to Sasha, and noticed that her breath quickened just a step, he touched her gently, and she gasped slightly. She turned, and looked up at him. There was a fire in his eyes, and she was sure it was reflected in her own. She was hungry for this stranger, and he looked hungry for her. Taking a deep breath and throwing all caution to the wind, she stood on tiptoe and went in for a kiss. She prayed that he understood what she was doing, and that he wouldn't reject her. She needn't have worried. Their lips met and a spark of electricity surged down her spine. Loki tangled his hands through her hair, as her hands snaked around his neck, it was as passionate as she hoped it would be, but eventually they both had to come up for air.

"Wow!" was as eloquent as Sasha was going to get, as Loki laughed a deep throaty laugh, he was understandably proud of that particular effort. He saw now why Thor felt so deeply for Jane. As if on cue his stomach grumbled, breaking the heaviness in the air. They both laughed.

"I'm not used to this mortal form. On Asgard I eat rarely, and I've certainly never felt this hungry before" he laughed, patting his stomach with his free hand, the other still resting on her waist.

"I'll make breakfast" Sasha was reluctant to let go of Loki in case he vanished into thin air. He seemed to sense her reluctance and kissed the tip of her nose lightly.

"I'll come and help you" he smiled, the bright smile that made her stomach knot up. He held the door open for her as she walked into the kitchen.

"French toast?" she asked, causing Loki to frown.

"Will I like it?" he asked suspiciously.

"Absolutely" It was Sasha's turn to smile brightly at him.

They worked in comfortable silence, getting closer than needed when reaching for things. Loki was useless in the kitchen that much they had discovered. He shrugged and smiled nonchalantly.

"I'm used to servants" he stated in his defence, holding up his hands. She taught him how to make coffee, and explained everything like she was teaching a child. He seemed to take in everything, pointing out similarities between Earth and Asgard from time to time. Soon they had a pretty respectable breakfast thrown together, and sat down to eat. As they ate Loki told her more about Asgard. How he'd had such a happy childhood, how he'd learnt magic, and finally he spoke about the night he'd let go and fallen from the shattered bi-frost.

"I've spent so long roaming the realms and being angry at everybody. Thor, the All-Father, even myself for failing. The one person I hated hurting was my Mother. She never asked for any of this." He looked at Sasha sadly as she instinctively reached for his hand. "The more I roamed, the more I thought of myself in Purgatory and the angrier I got. I never told you why I came to Earth last night. Thing is I wanted to hurt Thor and All-Father as much as I felt they'd hurt me. Earth is under their protection and I came here intent on destroying Earth. I didn't care who I hurt or killed, as long as I got a measure of retribution. But then I met you." He smiled at her, placing a hand on her cheek. "I couldn't hurt you. You were so kind to me. Even when you thought I might be crazy, you never left" He leaned across and kissed her, holding her chin, then broke away. "Thank you for believing in me" he whispered. Sasha looked deep into his eyes and realised she DID believe him. She knew that his story sounded crazy, but he made it sound believable. She was a great believer in listening to her gut, as a reporter she relied on it to get the good stories, and it had never let her down before, she didn't think it would let her down now.

"You make it easy to believe you" she replied, losing herself in the intimate moment. It was swiftly broken.

"What would you like to do today?" Loki asked, sitting back and grinning at her. Her mind swirled at how quickly his thoughts turned.

"Erm…well I'd like a shower first" she remembered that she was still sitting in her pyjamas, not the sexy underwear she envisioned herself in. Loki nodded in agreement.

"You shower. I'll learn to wash dishes" he snickered, standing and collecting the used dishes from the table.

Sasha walked through to the bathroom, locked the door and turned on the shower. Pulling her shower essentials from the shelf she undressed herself and threw the clothes to one side on the floor. Next she pulled a fluffy towel from the batch on the shelf and laid it across the sink ready for her to use when she got out of the shower. Finally she stepped under the hot water, sighing as the spray hit her skin. She took time washing her hair, rinsing it clean and then re-washing it. Next she reached for her shower gel, as she went to squeeze some onto her sponge; she felt cold hands caress her hips. She jumped, she hadn't heard him come in, nor had she heard him undress….in fact she could have sworn she locked the door. She turned to look at him.

"How did you...?" She started to ask. He put a finger to her lips and smiled.

"I still have a little magic in these fingers" he replied, his voice thick with need. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder, his hands running down her thighs. Kissing her neck, he reached for the sponge. Turning her round, he kissed the nape of her neck softly, making Sasha giggle as it tickled. He held out the sponge and Sasha squeezed some soap onto it. Lathering it up under the water Loki started to run the sponge over her wet body. Sasha had never felt anything like it; soft and sensual, she could get used to be washed like this. "I want you Sasha" Loki whispered in her ear, setting butterflies loose in her stomach. She knew she wanted him, and every touch from him only heightened her need. She moved in closer to him, leaning her head back as his hands reached her breasts, she could feel his arousal and knowing she couldn't wait any longer, she turned to face him. His eyes were blazing with desire as he pushed her gently to the wall. He'd waited a long time to be with such a beautiful woman. Thor had teased him often enough about his lack of "play" with the women on Asgard, but who was having the last laugh now? Loki allowed himself to be fully immersed in this beautiful, kind and funny woman. He would have his human long before his brother had Jane.

Finally, he was spent. Sasha held onto him tightly, trembling from the combination of their intense lovemaking and the hot shower. He put her back down on the floor gently, kissing her softly. She was as exhausted as him, her breath coming hard and fast. She'd never experienced passion like it; even in the early days with Alan, but she liked it, wanted more of him, but he was already getting out of the shower. She turned off the water and stood watching him. He handed her the towel and smiled at her. She wrapped the towel round her body, letting her wet hair drip onto her shoulders watching as he dressed quickly.

"Thank you Sasha" he kissed her forehead. "You will never know how much that meant to me" he smiled at her. "I'll let you get dressed" he turned to leave as she grabbed his arm, his brow furrowed as he looked at her.

"Thank you Loki. I didn't realise how badly I needed that, and to experience it with you was amazing" she beamed at him, her skin glowing. He wasn't sure if it was just the heat in the room, or if he was responsible for it, but it was a good look for her, and almost made him take her again right there. Instead he bent down and kissed her again, he would never tire of that he thought as she returned his kiss, pulling him closer. He pulled back and growled in his throat.

"You are so tempting" he chuckled, brushing a stray strand of wet hair from her face. She grinned mischievously at him, and raised an eyebrow.

"I can be" she replied, running her hand down his back. He knew what she was doing, and knew that he only had so much resistance. Kissing her again, he walked out of the bathroom, chuckling loudly as Sasha pouted. He went and stood on the terrace, looking at the lake and frowned. He realised that he hadn't shielded himself since last night. He knew that Heimdall would be looking out for him, and would know he was on Earth, he also knew to expect a visit. The question was, who would it be and when would they show up…..


End file.
